Every Hill and Mountain by Deborah Heal

Book Summary (from Amazon)


Those who have read Time
and Again and Unclaimed Legacy know
that Abby Thomas is a college student on a summer service project with
11-year-old Merri. And they know that the summer is not going the way Abby had
expected--but in a good way. For one thing, she meets a very nice guy named John
Roberts. And for another, she discovers a strange computer program
called Beautiful House that lets her fast-forward and rewind life.
Not her own, of course, but those of the people who lived in Merri's old house.
And the Old Dears' old house, and...well, any old house.


And since the program worked so well for the Old Dears' family
tree project, Abby's college roommate Kate hopes it will help her find out more
about her ancestor Ned Greenfield. And Kate's fiancé Ryan thinks the program
has lucrative commercial potential. 


Abby and John reluctantly agree to help Kate, but only on
the condition that she and Ryan promise to keep the program a secret, because
if it fell into the wrong hands...well, no one wants Big Brother invading their
privacy.


The two couples take a trip to the tiny town of Equality,
set in the hills of southern Illinois and the breath-taking Shawnee National
Forest. According to Kate's research, Ned Greenfield was born there at a place
called Hickory Hill.


The mayor, police chief, and townspeople are hospitable and
helpful--until the topic of Hickory Hill comes up. They seem determined to keep
them away, telling them, "There's nothing there for you to see." 

Eventually they find Hickory Hill on their own--both the
mansion and the lonely hill it sits upon. Built in 1834, Hickory Hill stands
sentinel over Half Moon Salt Mine where the original owner John Granger
accumulated his blood-tainted fortune. 


Abby and her friends meet Miss Granger, Hickory Hill's
current eccentric owner, and they eventually get the chance to time-surf there.
Their shocking discovery on the third floor concerning Kate's ancestor Ned
Greenfield is almost too much to bear. What they learn sends them racing to the
opposite end of the state to find the missing link in Kate's family tree. And
there they are reminded that God is in the business of redemption--that one day
he'll make all things new.


My Thoughts:

What can I say? Again, I was brought into a unique look at history from the perspective of Abby, John and Merri. I found myself intrigued again with how they find themselves involved with some type of "history mystery". There is so much great information wrapped up in this wonderful adventure. I loved how the relationships continue to grow and develop in this book. I really feel connected and involved in the story. The story focusing around the underground railroad leads itself in a direction for many stories to be told. 
I love the dynamics between the original time-surfers and the idea of bringing Kate into their secret.  Ryan was the perfect "bad guy" in the book. In a way you could imagine something would happen with him at the center of the trouble, but it was exciting learning to what degree he was willing to go to.
The people in Equality were great additions. The characters were well developed and they all had a very important part in the creation of the story.
I was sad to see the book end. I think this series was written in a way that could easily add more books to it and never run out of creative time-surfing ideas. I feel God is using Deborah Heal in a mighty way to show stories of God's love and redemption in new and unique ways to reach people all over. Good News is, as you can learn more about on her BLOG, Abby, John and Merri are back for more! I know I can't wait to read them!



Disclosure: I received a print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are completely my own and may differ from others.

Unclaimed Legacy by Deborah Heal

Book Summary: (from amazon)


"I call it time-surfing," Abby said. "It's like being there,
except no one can see or hear us."

"Whatever you call it," John said, "that was crazy--what we just did.
Beyond realistic. I mean, I was in that guy's head
and knew everything he was thinking."

Abby's weird computer program is working again. And it comes
in handy when she and her friends agree to help the Old Dears with their family
tree. 

Except Abby and John learn more about one of the ladies'
ancestors than they ever wanted to know. Convicted in 1871 of murder and arson,
Reuben Buchanan is a blight on the family's reputation. But was he really
guilty? Abby and John must get inside the mind of a murderer to find out. 

And while they're rummaging around in the Old Dears' family
history, they also find Nathan Buchanan, a heroic relative connected to the
Lewis and Clark Expedition--and a legacy waiting to be reclaimed. But the most important discovery they make is that God's
promise to bless a thousand generations is true.


My Thoughts:

Unclaimed Legacy is book 2 in the Time and Again series. We are again given the amazing opportunity to join the adventures of Abby and John, and Merri as they time surf to discover and help someone out. I love the characters in the story and how they relate to each other. I especially love seeing the way Abby and Merri have grown in trust and acceptance. Abby creates a safe place for Merri during the hard times with her Dad, and Merri knows she can trust Abby with the truth. At this point I feel myself connected to each character and invested in their relationships. I loved seeing Eulah and Beulah and their story. They are quite the characters and entertaining to watch throughout the book. Each person comes to find themselves in situations where there might be struggles, but they find encouragement in the fact that they can put their trust in God to carry them through.

Again, as with Time and Again, I had an extremely difficult time putting the book down. That to me is the sign of a perfect book,and one I want to share with others and to read myself many times. I'm getting ready to read book 3 now. I can't wait, and I'm anticipating more sleepless nights ahead!

Disclosure: I received a print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own, and may differ from others.

Philosophy Adventure Curriculum Giveaway!

 

Homeschool moms, Look no further! Homeschool Adventure Co provides you with Christian based History,Philosophy and Geography Maps ,not only of the ancient times, but current pictures which allow for more interest. You can also use this for high school credit! We've already done world history with my son, but we will in some way use this anyway just due to his interest in history, and the unique way this is written. This program includes not only the reading text, but there is also a student guide and teacher guide to help you dive deeper into the study. Have you ever wondered what History characters were around during Biblical Times? Amazing findings! You don't want to miss this. Great information and easy to follow! The whole program is carefully organized and laid out in a way that makes sense. There are assignments which give the student step by step instructions which give great detail. Memory work is encouraged which is a huge help in the child's overall learning. 

Below is a  giveaway for your chance to win an entire digital copy of the curriculum! Check back also for a complete review of the entire curriculum. Can't wait for you to see this program!



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Disclaimer: As part of the Philosophy Adventure Launch Team, I received a copy of the curriculum in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to be a part of the giveaways and promotions.

A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator blog tour

Enjoy this part of a book tour! Interview with the author following the summary. There is also a giveaway at the end of post for a free ebook!



A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator Book Summary:

Noam Chomsky argues that communication with aliens would be impossible. Stephen Hawking argues that it would be extremely unwise even to try. What if it were absolutely necessary to do so? This question arises with extreme urgency at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, in this time-travel, alternate-history trilogy, A New Birth of Freedom.

Excerpt Link to Prologue:
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/ANewBirthOfFreedom_RobertPielke.shtml

Robert G. Pielke's Bio: 

Robert Pielke, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, now lives in Claremont, California. He earned a B.A. in History at the University of Maryland, an M. Div. in Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and a Ph.D. in Social Ethics from the Claremont Graduate School.

He taught on ground and online for countless years at George Mason University in Virginia, El Camino College in California and online for the University of Phoenix. Now happily retired from “the job,” he is doing what he always wanted to do since he wrote his first novel at ten in elementary school. It was one paragraph, three pages long and, although he didn’t know it at the time, it was alternate history.

His academic writings have been in the area of ethics, including a boring academic treatise called Critiquing Moral Arguments, logic, and popular culture. Included in the latter is an analysis of rock music entitled You Say You Want a Revolution: Rock Music in American Culture. He has also published short stories, feature articles, film and restaurant reviews. His novels include a savagely satirical novel on America and its foibles, proclivities and propensities, Hitler the Cat Goes West, and an alternate history, science fiction novel, The Mission.

Most recently, he has updated and revised his book on rock music, which is being republished by McFarland & Co.

He swims daily, skis occasionally, cooks as an avocation, watches innumerable movies, collects rock and roll concert films, is an avid devotee of Maryland crabs and maintains a rarely visited blog filled with his social and political ravings. His favorite film is the original Hairspray; his favorite song is “A Day in the Life”; his favorite pizza is from the original Ledo Restaurant in College Park, MD; and he is a firm believer in the efficacy of “sex, drugs and rock and roll.” Somehow his family and friends put up with him.

Prices/Formats: $16.95 paperback, $4.99 ebook
Pages: 394
ISBN: 9781611605426
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
Release: November 1, 2012

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611605423?tag=tributebooks-20

1.      What inspired you to write your first book?

** This is going to be a long answer – because “first book” in my case is kind of ambiguous:

** As a kid, I went to the movies every weekend to see whatever was showing. It didn’t matter what it was, I’d be there. And I’d always wind up ‘playing a role” from the movie– in my mind if not in reality – until the next weekend’s film. And it usually wasn’t a role from the film, it was “me” being in the reality portrayed in film. Some of my favorite rolls were cowboys – Hopalong Cassidy was my favorite. (I pretended to be Tom Mix too, because he was my father’s favorite. I never saw his movies – before my time – but I read the comic books.

But when it came to “cowboys and Indians” in these movies I gradually became disturbed by the fact that the Indians were always “bad” and the cowboys were always “good.” There were a very few films – not many, to be sure -- that had a different take on this. Broken Arrow  was one of them (Jimmy Stewart and Jeff Chandler as Tom Jeffers and Cochise). And that interested me mightily. Again, my father influenced me. He, too, always thought their portrayal was one-sided. I wondered why there weren’t more movies like Broken Arrow.

Well, in the absence of any other films to speak of, I began imagining new scenarios for cowboys and Indians and played out these roles in my mind – and with the other kids I hung out with. After I learned how to write and how to use my mother’s Remington typewriter, I wrote a story, White Cloud, about an Indian who united all the Plains tribes along with all the Eastern tribes in the early seventeenth century to resist the European invasion. (It was 3 pages long, one paragraph and single spaced.) I was in the fourth or fifth grade. Somewhere, I still have it, and before my inevitable demise, I do a thorough search for it.

This was literally my “first book.”

What I didn’t realize was that I was writing alternate history. And I’ve doing it ever since. Unlike a lot of alternate history writers, I always have something in my stories that accounts for the “shift” from the path of history as we know it to the “altered” history. Usually it involves aliens and almost always time travel. So the genre I write in is really pretty much of a niche of a niche of a niche. And the readers are – thusly – few and far between!

My “next first book” was a religio/socio/political near future satire: Hitler the Cat Goes West. I wrote it in 1995, and if it were to be made into a film, it would be rated NC-17! It was published by an ultra-tiny university press, which has long since disappeared. Now I’ve given it to iUniverse and it’s still on sale….for the hearty and strong-stomached and venturesome souls.

2. What book are you currently reading?

** Like many other authors, I cannot read when I write – it’s far too distracting.

3. What's the hardest thing about writing this specific book?

** It pertains to the entire trilogy – I have to balance and harmonize a time travel story with an alternate history and have it make sense when a double first contact takes place – all without it becoming a “three stooges comedy.”

4. Any advice for someone who is wanting to become an author?

                ** One word: WRITE! [Don’t just talk about it….DO it.]

5.What would a typical day be like for you when you are working on a book?

** Up at 4 am – write from 6 to noon – lunch – nap – cooking shows on TV – fix dinner – films – bed by 11 or 12.

6. How did you come up with the idea of this book?

** Faulkner said it best in Intruder in the Dust – “Every Southern boy whenever he wants...” can imagine being on the field at Gettysburg on the third day of battle, just before Longstreet gives Pickett the command to go. “It hasn’t happened yet…” and “there is still time for it not to begin.” Now, I’m not a Southern boy, but I can still imagined some scenario where it does not begin. Plus, I lived in Gettysburg for three years and always had a fascination with history and the Civil War.

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